Guess what? Spring break is here! Yay! I hope you all enjoy your break, whether you’ve gone home, are visiting places, or are simply staying on campus (like me!). If you still don’t know what to do yet, here are some suggestions to keep you entertained during break time!
Are you familiar with the name “Studio Ghibli”? Let me tell you some quick facts about it. Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation film studio based in Tokyo, Japan. The studio is best known for its anime feature films, possibly the world’s most revered animation house. The name Ghibli is based on the Arabic word “sirocco” (the Mediterranean wind), as the studio wanted to “blow a new wind through the anime industry”. There are a lot of animes that Studio Ghibli have made, but here is my favorite list of these animes:
1. Spirited Away
On the trip to the family’s new house, 10-year-old girl Chihiro gets lost in a world ruled by gods, witches, spirits while her parents are turned into pigs. What will Chihiro do to survive in that world and save her parents?
“Spirited Away” is an enchanting and gorgeously drawn fairy tale. You will get lost in an impressively crafted magical world right from the start till the end of the movie. This movie does a great job in addressing many worthy themes: the power of words and names, the blurred line between good and evil, materialist greed, kindness, and so on. I have watched this movie again and again, and I hope you will have a great time enjoying the movie, too.
When a witch turns 13, it is traditional for her to move away from home to spend a year in another city where no other witches have lived, so she can learn to be independent and practice her craft. This year, it’s Kiki’s turnto begin her year away from home. How will Kiki and Jiji – her black cat – manage their new life?
“Kiki’s delivery service” is a heartwarming tale of a young witch discovering her place in the world. As a college student who is, for the first time in my life, living far away from home, I recognize so many things that Kiki and I both have to face: being independent, working to support myself, figuring out my own ability, and so on. I believe that you will also discover something that you and Kiki have in common and will love the movie as much as I do!
3. Grave of the Fireflies
Setsuko and Seita are brother and sister living in wartime in Japan. After their mother is killed in an air raid, they leave home and live with their relatives, but later make their home in an abandoned shelter. Food is eventually in short supply, and they have to live in hunger. Their only entertainment is the light of the fireflies. …
This is an achingly sad anti-war film. Nevertheless, it is a beautiful work of art. There are wondrous moments of natural beauty and childish delight which only make the tragedy even more harrowing.
4. Laputa: Castle In The Sky
A young boy stumbles upon a mysterious girl who floats down from the sky. The girl, Sheeta, is being chased by secret agents. To save her life, they begin their adventure in search for a floating castle of a lost civilization.This movie brings you astounding moments discovering a legendary city behind the clouds and many secrets it holds about nature, robots, light, and magic. If I had to choose one word to describe this movie, it would be “amazing”!
5. Howl’s Moving Castle
A love story between an 18-year-old girl named Sophie, cursed by a witch to be in an old woman’s body, and a magician named Howl. Under the curse, Sophie sets out to seek her fortune, which takes her to Howl’s strange moving castle.
This is a floating delightful fairy tale. You should definitely spend time watching it.
6. Ponyo
The son of a sailor, 5-year old Sosuke lives a quiet life on an oceanside cliff with his mother, Lisa. One fateful day, he finds a beautiful goldfish trapped in a bottle on the beach and upon rescuing her, names her Ponyo. Ponyo, daughter of a sea goddess, transforms herself into a young girl and quickly falls in love with Sosuke. As Ponyo’s father sends the ocean’s mighty waves to find his daughter, the two children embark on an adventure of a lifetime to save the world and fulfill Ponyo’s dreams of becoming human.
This is a very cute, adorable, and magical anime. It also brings up an important message about protecting the environment.
7. Princess Mononoke
While protecting his village from a rampaging boar-god/demon, a confident young warrior, Ashitaka, is stricken by a deadly curse. To save his life, he must go to the forests of the west. Once there, he’s embroiled in a fierce campaign that Lady Eboshi and her loyal clan are waging on the forest and a brave young woman, Princess Mononoke, who was raised by a wolf-god. Ashitaka sees the good in both sides and tries to stop them from fighting.
This movie has successfully addressed the topic of environmental degradation caused by humans and the futility of war. Each of the character seems to be both good and bad; no one is an obvious hero or villain. One of my favorite things about this movie is the music. Though the graphics are exceptionally beautiful and evocative, I have to admit that this movie contains many violent scenes.
8. My Neighbor Totoro
Two young girls, Satsuki and her younger sister Mei, move into a house in the country with their father to be closer to their hospitalized mother. Satsuki and Mei discover that the nearby forest is inhabited by magical creatures called Totoros (pronounced toe-toe-ro). They soon befriend these Totoros, and have several magical adventures.
I think it’s hard to watch this anime without feeling like a kid again. Let go of your adult self for a moment and go back to childhood’s wondrous journeys. Fun fact: Totoro is also the symbol of Studio Ghibli!
9. Whisper of the Heart
Shizuku is a 14-year-old student who finds out that all the books she chooses in the library have been previously checked out by the same boy: Seiji. Later she meets a very infuriating fellow who turns out to be the boy that she’s been wondering about. Seiji craves to pursue a career in making violins, and he wishes to leaves for Italy for a two-month course with a master violin-maker. Shizuku, on the other hand, wants to succeed as a writer.
I believe this is an excellent movie which vividly depicts childhood dreams and how far we could go to achieve them. Besides, the sweet childhood love story in the movie will warm your heart in the cold winter day.
Of course, the list of good Studio Ghibli movies go on and on. Please comment below your favorite movies so that your fellows Moho will have an even more exciting experience during Spring Break!
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